S&M Bikes supported BMX racer and original Sheep Hills trails local Mike "Boozer" Brown crashed during a moto at the USA BMX Western Divisional Finals in Reno, Nev. on Saturday and suffered a paralyzing spinal injury. Brown shattered his T10 and T11 vertebrae and is paralyzed from the stomach down.
Brown, 40, of Costa Mesa, Calif., reportedly locked up over a set of doubles during a race and crashed. He underwent emergency surgery Saturday night to stabilize the broken vertebrae. Doctors were able to remove bone spurs, relieve some of the swelling and reduce the paralysis as much as they could.
Friends of Brown rushed to his aid, setting up an emergency fund to help with Brown's mounting medical bills through Go Fund Me. According to updates on the donation site, "Mike is in excellent spirits considering what happened," and "already driving the nurses crazy." After an MRI last night, Brown was relayed comments of support from the Go Fund Me site as well as the S&M Bikes Facebook page.
According to sources, Brown has no health insurance. "Mike's surgery will cost in the hundreds of thousands and his recovery and rehab will be in the millions," states the Go Fund Me site, which has an intended goal of reaching $30,000.
The thoracic vertebrae compose the middle segment of the vertebral column in the spine, and is one of the areas that can lead to paraplegia when injured.
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